Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson said his team failed to handle Philadelphia’s increased pressure and physicality after surrendering a 29-point lead in a 114-106 loss to the 76ers on Thursday night.
The Cavaliers led 69-45 at halftime and extended their advantage to 29 points before Philadelphia mounted a comeback in its home opener. The 76ers outscored Cleveland 69-37 in the second half, improving to 2-0 after also beating the defending NBA champion New York Knicks.
“They upped their pressure and physicality. It was pretty clear. We did not handle it well,” Atkinson said after the game. “Fifteen turnovers, then the possession game just tilts the other way. It puts you in a hole.”
Philadelphia’s defensive intensity disrupted Cleveland’s offense throughout the second half. The Cavaliers scored just 37 points after halftime, including 16 in the fourth quarter, as the 76ers erased the deficit and took control.
Atkinson said Cleveland briefly resisted the comeback in the third quarter but could not sustain its response because of untimely turnovers. He also emphasized that the mistakes were spread across the roster rather than limited to one player or the backcourt.
“We got to do a better job handling pressure. That’s very clear,” Atkinson said. “That second half is like a playoff game. How they played, how they upped their physicality. It’s hard to run, hard to move. We really couldn’t create advantages.”
The Cavaliers coach put the responsibility on the offense rather than the defense, explaining that turnovers prevented his team from getting back and establishing its defensive structure.
“The culprit of this one was our offense and, again, not being able to handle the pressure and physicality,” Atkinson said.
He also pointed to Cleveland’s tendency to rely on individual plays instead of moving the ball against Philadelphia’s aggressive defense. The Cavaliers recorded 18 assists on 39 made field goals, and Atkinson said the team needed to make simpler decisions when facing pressure.
“When teams pressure like that, that’s the time you got to move it,” he said. “If you try to beat them with the dribble, try to beat them with one-on-one basketball, that’s just not the way to beat pressure. You can’t go into pressure. You got to go away from pressure.”
Despite the collapse, Atkinson described the game as a learning opportunity early in the season. He expects Cleveland to respond when it returns home to face Brooklyn on Saturday.
“These are great experiences. This is how you build character, how you build resiliency, how you figure things out,” Atkinson said. “We got a veteran team. We’ll bounce back and get ready for Brooklyn.”
Atkinson also praised Peyton Watson’s defensive impact, highlighting his rim protection, energy and effort, and described Philadelphia’s atmosphere as a “game seven atmosphere.”
